Silence Is Easy
by KieraLovesCSI
Summary: Danny and Flack decide to gatecrash a party they're not welcome too. M&Ms.
1. Chapter 1

Silence is Easy

A/N: Takes place one year in the future.

As Lindsay processed the crime scene, Danny stood quietly in the corner. He was pretending to look busy, but really he was daydreaming about her.

Everyday he couldn't be with Lindsay was like torture for him. Everytime she entered the room or even talked to him, his heart started to pound out of his chest, his head screaming at him to tell her how he feels. But now he was too late; she was off limits. Lindsay had moved on, and got engaged to a man named Garry. He had received the invitation to the party three days ago, but decided not to go.

The scene was so quiet Lindsay could almost hear Danny's brain ticking.

"Danny? Are you alright? You're very quiet," she asked concerned.

"Yeah. Just tired," he lied. She nodded, then gestured for him to move closer.

"Come and take a look at this."

He walked over to the body and crouched beside her. "Feel the back of his neck." He obeyed, and noticed there was a large gap where the victim's neck should be.

"He's got a broken neck," said Danny.

"Yep. It's been pulled. You'd need to be pretty strong to do that. Or have someone to help you do it," said Lindsay, looking at him.

He noticed how close they were, their faces centimetres apart.

Her cell phone interrupted them. She checked the caller ID, and her forehead folded into a frown.

"Garry, I told you not to call me at work," she said sternly as she answered the phone. She paused for him to speak, and smiled a little. "Okay. See you later on."

Danny scowled. He hated Garry; he didn't treat Lindsay with respect. He ordered her around, asking her to get things or tidy up after him. If she refused, he blew a fuse. He had the worst temper Danny had ever seen. He had no idea what she saw in him, but he just put it down to the fact that she was blinded by him.

"Is everything okay Lindsay?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, he was just saying he was looking forward to the party tonight."

Danny responded with silence. He often did this now, when the subject of Garry came up.

The only sound in the room was the thistling of the evidence bags as Danny lifted them form the floor.

"Danny?"

Silence.

"You're not coming, are you?"

She expected more silence, but he spoke.

"No Lindsay."

The stillness in the room was unbearable. She lifted the remainder of the bags, and left the crime scene, without a word.

* * *

At the end of his shift, Danny met up with Flack, who was attempting to mend the coffee machine.

"Flack, you're only going to break it more!" he said, laughing at his attempts to fix the machine.

"I've nearly got it. I'll just press a few more buttons..." he said, jabbing randomly at the buttons, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Flack, I was wondering if you wanted to come out for a drink. I'm feeling pretty crappy."

"But it's Lindsay's par- Oh right. That's why you're feeling bad. I'm here for you man," he said, giving him a friendly clap on the shoulder. "Just let me fix this first," he said, frowning at the machine and continuing to stab at the buttons, seemingly with no structure at all. His patience began to thin.

"Damn it machine! We need coffee!" he said loudly, giving it a rough shake.

The machine gurgled, coughed, then squirted milk at high speed everywhere.

Danny, who was standing to the side of the machine, unlike Flack, who was completely soaked.

"Damn it machine! He said coffee, not milk!" he mocked, thumping the side of the machine.

"Very funny," said Flack flicking him with the milk.

"You get cleaned up, and I'll meet you there," he said.

"Right man."

Danny went back to his apartment and got changed. He checked his watch. The party was just starting. He was to meet Flack in an hour.

He lay on the couch, deciding he would take a nap to refresh himself after a tough day. Before long, he was dreaming, of a moment between him and Lindsay that happened three weeks ago...


	2. Chapter 2

Danny and Lindsay were in the break room, alone.

There had been stillness between them for weeks, and it was starting to get to him.

"So, Linds. Got anything nice planned?" he asked conversationally.

"Yeah, just going out," she said, spinning an apple on the table.

"With Garry?"

"Yes."

Danny sighed angrily. He didn't mean to blurt it out, but he said, "He's not good for you Lindsay."

Lindsay retaliated defensively to the comment.

"And you were?!" she spat.

Danny was taken aback by the anger in her voice.

"We were good for each other Lindsay. I made a mistake, and now I'm paying for it."

"Don't give me that! You never even tried!" By this stage the volume of her voice had risen, and she had got out of her seat.

"You'd rather spend your time with that..." her voice broke into angry muffled words.

Danny stood up so fast that his chair tipped over and landed on the floor with a sharp thud. His mug of coffee spilled and crashed to the ground, shattering into a million pieces.

"Don't...bring her into this," he said in a dangerous voice. After he had said these words, he realised how bad they sounded.

Lindsay folded her arms around her middle, and swallowed hard to stop her tears. She wouldn't let Danny see her cry.

"This is where the problem is Danny! I wanted you to fight for me! But you don't care! You'd rather avoid me, changing shifts whenever you can, not even speaking to me!" she said, letting a sob escape from her lungs.

"Silence is easier," Danny said angrily. "You won't forgive me! I've said everything there is to say."

"No you haven't. When was the last time you told me you loved me, before we broke up?" she yelled. "You pushed me away, consoled in someone else. I wanted to be that person for you Danny!" she yelled, her chest heaving with sobs.

"Ever since Ruben died, you've embarked on a self-destructive path, pulling everyone down with you, not caring how much you hurt them."

"Lindsay, of course I care! I never meant to hurt you Montana!" he said, his eyes watering.

"Don't. Don't call me Montana," she sobbed, before fleeing the room. The walls shook as the door slammed behind her.

He charged after her, wrenching the door open to find Mac standing stiffly at the door.

"Take a seat, and calm down," he said firmly.

Danny paused for a moment, then attempted to push past Mac with his shoulder.

"SIT. NOW!" Mac yelled, pushing him back. Danny peered over Mac's shoulder to see Stella leading Lindsay away, patting her on the back.

"Lindsay. Lindsay! Wait, I'm sorry Lindsay. I'm so sorry!"

Danny was wrenched from his sleep by his cell phone. He saw it was Flack.

"Hi. I'll be there in a minute. I fell asleep," he said.

"Right. See you there."

He heard the click of the phone as Flack hung up.

That was the fourth time this week Danny had had that dream. Was it trying to tell him something?


	3. Chapter 3

As Flack stood outside the stuffy bar, he saw Danny walking up to meet him. He looked worried about something; and in desperate need of a drink.

"You okay? You look worried about something," he asked.

Danny hesitated. Even though him and Lindsay broke up over a year ago, he never told anyone why. He usually kept his private life the way it's meant to be: private.

"It's okay man, you can tell me if something is on your mind," said Flack reassuringly.

"Come in a minute, then I'll tell you." He gestured towards the bar stools inside the rowdy bar.

They took a seat, and Flack called the bartender over. He asked for two beers, and the bartender served them up.

"Thanks Flack," Danny said, reaching for the pint.

He took a gulp, and set the glass down on the bar again.

"You ready to talk?" asked Flack.

"It's that dream... remember that argument between me and Lindsay? I keep dreaming about that. Over and over. I think it's trying to tell me something. Like I should have tried harder to get her back," he said slowly. He felt his heart quicken at the sound of her name.

"Of course I remember Danny, the whole lab heard that argument," he said sternly. Danny hung his head over his beer after he had said this.

"Danny, maybe you should have tried harder. But it all depends on what you did in the first place to cause the breakup," said Flack, implying that he wanted to know exactly what he did.

Danny took another few gulps of his beer, before confessing, "I cheated on her, big time."

Danny looked up to see Flack choke slightly on his drink.

"You what?" he said loudly. Danny was unable to read the expression on his face, but he continued anyway.

"She hates me Flack. I told her she meant everything to me. I told her I was sorry over and over again. But she moved on, without a backwards glance," he said sadly as he downed the rest of his beer.

"That's not like you Danny. Why'd you do that? You stupid idiot. I won't even ask who it was with. If you really care, you would march over there right now, and tell her."

Danny started to speak, but Flack continued to rant at him.

"And I don't care if she's with that guy. He treats her like dirt; you and I both know that."

Danny took another swig of the fresh beer he had just ordered, and rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses.

"Flack-"

"What were you thinking? Lindsay's my friend. I-"

"FLACK. Shut up a minute will ya?" said Danny. "I would go and tell her, but I don't have the courage. We're friends now, but if I tell her, she will fall out with me again. On top of that, Garry would probably floor me with one punch," he said, taking another angry swig.

"Yeah right. Just tell her, before she makes the biggest mistake of her life Danny."

Danny paused. "You think she's making a mistake?"

"Yeah Danny. I've seen you two in happier times, and I can just tell by the way you look at each other. And frankly, I think she's scared of that guy. Are you just gonna sit here, sulking, or are you gonna go and tell the person who you love how you feel?" Flack said, trying to raise morale. He clapped him on the shoulder again.

"I think I'll sulk thanks," he said, ordering another beer.

Flack was going to have to change tactics. He tried anger.

"That's why you'll never get back with her. You're not even trying," he said.

"I did Flack. I failed. I'm just gonna have to watch her walk down the isle with someone else."

Flack leaned backwards slightly, surprised. Did Danny Messer just imply that he wished it was him who was walking down the isle with Lindsay?

He decided not to bring this up but instead ordered two more drinks.

"Flack, I've already got a full one here," said Danny, gesturing towards the full glass.

"This is for me, I need to catch up," he said, downing the first one.

**Five beers later**

"Dannnnnnny?" Flack slurred.

"What Flack?"

"I think I'm drrrrrrrrrrrrrunk." Flack was swaying dangerously on his barstool. Danny had decided to stop after his third beer, but Flack ordered five more and drank them all himself.

"You think?" Danny said smiling slightly, the first smile from him the whole night. "I think we should get home," he said, saving Flack from slipping off his seat by grabbing him under the arm.

"Nooooooooo way Messser... you're getting Lindsay back. Now go!" he slurred, stabbing his finger at the exit of the bar.

Danny paused. Maybe it was the alcohol in his system that gave him the courage, or the persuading Flack had done all night.

"But that party has a guest list Flack."

"Woooooooo!! Gatecrashing time!!" whooped Flack, waving an arm in the air.

Flack and Danny left the bar, and stopped just outside the door.

"If we're going to go, we have to have some rules Flack. For you, no mingling, no shouting, and definitely no more drinking," he said sternly.

"Wouldn't wanna attract the cops," he slurred.

"Incase you've forgotten, YOU are a cop Flack," Danny said, doubling over with laughter.

"You can do this Danny. Tell her. I'll arrest anyone who gets in your way!" he joked.

"Lets do this," said Danny, making his way through the busy streets, Flack staggering behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They make me keep going!

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY. If I did Hawkes would be mine! Muahahahaha. Okay... moving on...

They arrived outside the hotel. They could hear the drone of the music, and the excited babble of the guests. They eyed the doorman, who was standing just outside the hotel, shifting from one foot to the other. Beside him there was a large sign that read: "invitations only."

As Danny and Flack approached the door, the doorman tensed up and gruffly asked, "you got an invite?"

Danny pulled out his police badge and flashed it to him. "NYPD, let us in."

He nodded and stood aside to let Danny through. He put a large hand out when Flack tried to pass.

"No way boozy. Get back or I will through you out!" he said fiercely. Flack pulled out his badge too.

"He's with me," Danny said, dragging Flack through the door. The doorman replied with a quizical look.

"Oh, he is always like that," Danny said, as-a-matter-of-factly.

The doorman nodded his balding head and turned back around, as Flack let a surpressed giggle escape from his mouth.

As soon as they got a safe distance away from the doorman's sharp ears Danny joked, "I'm never going out drinking with you again!"

The ambled into the massive hall. There was a few tables of various finger foods, a bar and a large dance floor. Out of the corner of Danny's eye he could see Flack heading towards the bar.

"Flack-"

"Yeah yeah no drinking, I know," he grumbled, muttering some words that sounded like "killjoy" and "no fun".

Danny scanned the room quickly. There must have been over a hundred people in the room, but he picked Lindsay out easily from the other women.

She looked stunning in a black dress, with matching black heels. He zoned out of the party completely, ignoring the music and the lights. To him, the only people in the room was him and Lindsay. That was, until Garry strode over to her and started talking to her.

He noticed Lindsay's body language. She had folded her arms around her middle, and only glanced up at him every few sentences. He'd seen this before, when interrigating suspects. It was submissive behaviour.

"Don, go and blend into the crowd a minute will ya? Make sure none of the team see you," he said, edging closer to Lindsay and Garry.

"Sure thing boss," joked Flack before making a beeline for the bar.

Danny sneeked closer, standing against the wall beside a table of food, listening into the conversation.

"Thery're my friends Garry, please try to be nice," Lindsay said quietly.

"I don't care, they don't like me, so I don't like them," he said.

"Well they're coming," she said firmly.

Garry grabbed her wrist suddenly. Lindsay winced and snatched her hand away from him, before scurrying off.

Anger erupted within Danny like an explosion. It completely engulfed him, taking over his better judgement. He grabbed the nearest thing to him, which was a small pie off the food table. He drew back him arm, and flung the pie as hard as he could at the back of Garry's head. It hit his head with a satisfying "SPLAT."

Garry's head wipped around so fast Danny was surprised he didn't get whiplash. He scanned the room, looking for who threw the pie.

Danny swiftly moved away, absolutely fuming. _How dare he hurt his Lindsay! _Garry was lucky Danny didn't punch him in the face, there and then.

He saw Lindsay fleeing the room, sniffling. There was an angry red mark on her wrist. He ran after her, and found her sobbing silently to herself in a small corridor leading to the hotel rooms. She was sitting on the floor, tears falling from her chestnut brown eyes, as she rubbed the mark on her wrist.

"Lindsay..." he said quietly so as not to scare her. She looked up at him, then down again. He slowly sat beside her. She let him take her sore wrist. "What is he doing to you?" he said, running his hand gently over the mark.

Her brown eyes met his blue ones, and hers began to water again. He carefully pulled her into a hug, as a harsh sob escaped from her lungs. She rested her head under the crook of his neck, and weeped into his shirt. When she was in Danny's arms, she'd never felt so safe. She wanted to tell him. Tell him that she missed him, wanted him, needed him, loved him. She cuddled into his chest, wishing he could hold her there forever, wishing he could save her from this living nightmare.

He brushed the wet strands of hair from her eyes, and murmured, "It's okay, Montana. You're safe. I'll protect you."

She nodded, and her sobs slowly stopped as he held her close to him.

Suddenly, large thundering footsteps came uo the corridor. He felt Lindsay tense in his arms.

"Danny, it's him," she wimpered, as Danny stood up, to see Garry and the doorman racing up the corridor, Flack in close pursuit.

"Danny! I came to warn you!" Flack panted. He seemed more sober now, the cop side of him was returning again. They both knew there was going to be a fight. Lindsay stood back, terrified of what might happen next.

"You two. Get out of here, you weren't invited to this party," growled the doorman. Danny ignored him and turned to face Garry.

"What did you do to her hand?" Danny demanded lividly, his hands balling into fists.

"Nothing Messer. Stay away from Lindsay, or you're in trouble..." he threatened in a dangerous voice.

"Or what hotshot? You gonna take down two cops?" jeered Flack.

"Easily!" he shouted, before jumping at Danny, brandishing his fists. As he ran at him, Danny threw a clean punch to his gut. Garry moaned in pain, and the doorman then turned his attention to Danny. He grabbed Danny from behind, along with Garry helping him. They pushed a struggling Danny to the wall hard, and his jaw hit the wall with a sickening crunch. He saw blood spatter the wall.

"Don! Help him!" shouted Lindsay.

Flack pulled the doorman off Danny, and pushed him to the ground struggling.

Just as Danny turned back around, Garry drew back his fist, and threw a hard punch at him, which he ducked. CRUNCH! Garry's fist hit the wall, and he yelped in pain. He then forced him to the ground, his hands pressed to his back.

"Looks like we win..." Danny said, blood dripping from his mouth.

He heard an angry voice shouting, "WHATS GOING ON HERE?"

It was Mac. He looked over to Danny, who had an open cut on his jaw, His mouth was also bleeding. Flack had a cut above his eyebrow, but apart from that was fine.

Flack and Danny both stood and let them up.

"You. Get out. NOW." he yelled, roughly picking up Garry, and pushing him back. He left, looking back at Lindsay like he was sorry.

The doorman scurried off back to the entrance, and Lindsay ran up to the pair.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry!" she cried, looking at the livid bruise forming on Danny's neck and jaw.

"I'm fine, please don't cry Montana," he said, wiping the blood from his cheek.

Hawkes came running around the corner, an ice pack in hand.

"Mac you called-" he stopped, looking at the scene before him.

Ten minutes later, Hawkes had finished checking over Danny. "You'll be fine, it's only a small cut on your jaw. You just accidently bit the inside of your mouth when you were pushed against the wall, thats where most of the blood came from."

"Thanks Sheldon," he said, holding the wet cloth to his face.

* * *

The most of the guests had left after the fight, but Lindsay had stayed to make sure Danny wasn't hurt too bad. She'd then left for her and Garry's apartment, close to crying again.

Lindsay turned her key in the door and it opened with a click. She slowly pushed it open, to see Garry lying on the couch, rubbing the bruise on his stomach that Danny had given him. He looked around to see her standing in the doorway.

"Hi Linds. I'm sorry for fighting, really I am. I know I ruined our night, but i'll make it up to you, I promise," he said trying to sound remorseful.

She sighed. She'd heard this before; it was just another empty promise.

He waited for her to speak, but instead she sat on the armchair. He continued when he realised she wasn't going to speak.

"Fine then. The wedding is in three days, so if I were you I'd get to sleep," he said, before turning off the TV and going into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

_Not even a "goodnight."_

She felt a jolt and a tightness in her chest everytime the wedding was mentioned. She felt so trapped, but wasn't brave enough to tell him it was over, because she was terrified of Garry when he was angry. Why had she gotten into this horrible nightmare? She rubbed her forehead, thinking of what to do.

_Three more days. Three. Then you'll be trapped __forever__. _


	5. Chapter 5

Danny woke the next morning to the shrieking of his alarm clock. He groggily reached for the snooze button, but when it continued to ring, he threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a crash, and the loud noise made his head throb with pain. He dragged himself up and made himself a coffee, trying to remember what happened last night. He could remember being thrown out by the doorman again, but he couldn't remember how he had got home.

His phone interrupted his thoughts. He walked back into his bedroom and picked it up from his bedside table.

"Messer," he croaked.

"Last night catching up on you?" Stella quipped.

"I'm really not in the mood for jokes Stell," he said gruffly.

"Okay, okay, I was just phoning to tell you that Mac wants you to check up on Lindsay. She didn't come into work this morning," she said concerned.

"I... I don't think that's a good idea... if he's there..."

"Don't worry. Lindsay told me he works early on a Tuesday," Stella said.

"Right. See you later."

He hung up, and thought for a moment. What was he going to do about him and Lindsay? How would she react if he came to her apartment? He rubbed his temple, thinking hard. Suddenly an idea came to him. He grabbed a pen and some paper her found lying around, and began to write.

Lindsay's eyes snapped open. She could hear a tapping noise, and a muffled voice from behind the door of her apartment.

"Linds? Lindsay. Open up, it's me," the voice said. She immediately recognized Danny's voice. She jumped out of her bed and opened the door, to see Danny standing awkwardly outside.

"Mac sent me to check up on you. Is everything okay?" he said.

Her heart rate fell slightly. She thought Danny had come especially to see her, not because Mac had sent him.

"Yeah I'm fine," she said, giving him a quizzical look.

"You were supposed to come into work today and you didn't show, so he was worried," he said.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot!" she ran from the door, leaving it ajar. She scurried into her bedroom and started rummaging through her wardrobe.

"You better come in a minute!" she called whilst shutting her bedroom door.

Danny reached into his back pocket, and pulled out the small envelope. He searched the room, looking for somewhere he could place it. He saw a large pile of bills, probably something to do with the wedding, and set it on top.

He didn't hear Lindsay open the door, now dressed in her work clothes, and dragging a brush through her hair.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped and dropped the pieces of paper everywhere. They scattered across the floor, along with the letter.

"Nothing! I...I..." he stammered.

She reached for the papers, and gathered them back into a pile. Danny sighed with relief when she failed to notice his letter. He didn't want her to find it just yet.

"About last night..." he said slowly.

"It doesn't matter Danny, he didn't go mad or anything. I was just glad you were okay," she said, looking at the bruise on his jaw.

"But..." he stopped, and remembered the letter. It was going to say everything that needed to be said. He had spent a long time deciding what to say to her, but in the end, he wrote what his heart told him to write. He just hoped she would find it in time.

His watch beeped, signaling it was time to go to work.

"I better get going, or I'll be late for work, see you later Linds," he said, before turning for the door.

"Okay. I will be in as soon as I can," she said, shutting the door behind him.

Danny heard Lindsay's shoes clicking on the floor as she entered the lab, ten minutes later.

"Hi Danny. I need to go and apologize to Mac for being late. I'll be back in a minute," she said, starting to run off. Danny reached for her arm, before she disappeared.

"Already done," he said, smiling. "Now you can help me with this," he said, pointing to the microscope. "I found some foreign fibers on his coat," he said, as Lindsay peered at them through the microscope.

"Maybe they could have been a transfer when our vic' was attacked," she said, looking back up to him.

"Exactly what I was thinking," he nodded, folding his arms confidently.

They worked hard for another three hours. Mac then came to see Lindsay. He saw them working together without fighting. They were actually laughing and joking, just like they used to.

"Lindsay, I think it's time you went home. You're getting married tomorrow, remember?" he joked.

"Well, if you think so Mac. I am feeling quite tired." She felt that familiar jolt of fear when he mentioned "married".

She gathered her coat and said goodbye to Danny.

"Bye Danny," she said, before leaving for the exit.

"_Please find the letter. Please find it. I don't want this to be goodbye," _he silently begged inside his mind.

Lindsay got a cab back to her apartment, and opened the door. It was nice to have her apartment to herself again. Garry was staying at a hotel, because of the 'unlucky to see the bride before the wedding' rule.

She wasn't ready for sleep yet, so decided to clean up the apartment a bit. She cleared up the clutter around her coffee table. As she picked up the bills, she noticed a yellow envelope among the papers. She curiously lifted it from the pile. 'Montana' it read on the front, in the familiar jagged scrawl that was Danny's handwriting. She opened it carefully, unfolding the piece of paper she found inside. She began to read...


	6. Chapter 6

Lindsay woke the next day to the sound of excited squealing coming from outside. She knew it was Stella, Lindsay had given her a spare key to help her get ready for the wedding.

She slouched to the door, and pulled it open.

"Hey!!" she stopped, looking at Lindsay, and how sad and how strained her eyes look.

"Linds... What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"Nothing... I'm just... I... I'm tired that's all," she said.

"Oh, okay!" she said, her cheerful grin returning. " I'll get you loads of coffee. I'll make some while you get a shower, then we can do your hair, and your makeup..." her list continued on, while Lindsay dragged her through the door.

She slouched into her bathroom, and turned on the shower. She let the warm water sting her skin, as she tried to wash the jumble of feelings in her head away. Danny's letter had affected her in such a way, she couldn't sleep all night.

"Lindsay, get out of the shower! I need to do your hair, and we're running out of time!" Stella called into the bathroom.

She relented, and turned off the shower. She got dried, and put on a T-shirt and some jeans. She would get into her dress at the church.

She pulled the door open, and Stella was waiting for her. She handed Lindsay a plate of toast, and a strong coffee.

"Thanks Stell," she said, taking a sip of the coffee. Stella steered her to the table, and Lindsay sat.

"Eat up, and then we'll do your hair. We can't have you getting married like that!" she quipped, attacking her hair with a brush.

"Stella, that really hurts," she winced as Stella dragged the brush through her hair, seeing a tuft of her hair come flying off the brush.

"Sorry kiddo," said Stella, setting the brush back on the table.

She munched quietly on her toast, her mind short-circuiting at the thought of actually getting married. "_I don't want this, do I?" _she asked herself silently. _"I'm still in love with Danny. I need to get out..." _

She felt the strong urge to burst into tears, but swallowed the lump in her throat, just about managing to keep it together.

By the time Lindsay was ready, the car outside waiting to take her to the church was beeping impatiently. Stella dragged her through the door, carrying the dress in it's box.

"Come quick, we'll be late!" she said, as they ran out the door and into the awaiting car.

Lindsay felt like running away, her mind was screaming at her to do so. But Stella's vice like grip prevented her from escaping as she was pulled into the car.

* * *

Danny woke with a start, feeling a tightness in his chest. He glanced at the clock, seeing that the wedding was starting in ten minutes.

He realized something; it hit him like lightning and broke his heart in two.

_She didn't get your letter. She's gone._

Lindsay stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was standing in a beautiful flowing wedding dress. The sequins sparkled and reflected the light in the small room. She could hear the hushed talking of the guests and the harp playing gracefully in the background.

Her mind was racing, all her thoughts colliding into each other, causing her to panic. She felt the overwhelming urge to run again, but just as she turned for the door, Stella came in again.

"Wow Linds. You look fantastic in your dress," she said, gazing at the it.

"Thank you Stell, you look great too," she replied.

She beamed happily.

"Stell, don't take this the wrong way, but can a have a few minutes to myself?" Lindsay asked politely.

"Of course Linds. You've got about five minutes before it starts anyway," she said, before shutting the door quietly behind her as she left.

The silence took over the room again. Lindsay looked over to the letter, which lay opened on the table. She sat at the desk, lifting the letter from the envelope. She started to read it again:

_Lindsay,_

_I'm writing to you because I don't know how else to say this. I am sorry I'm telling you this by letter, but I'm scared if I tell you in person I'll be lost for words, like I always am._

_I'm sorry Lindsay, for what I did to you. I truly am. You trusted me, and I know how hard you find it to trust. But I compromised our relationship, destroying that trust. I wish I could take it all back, if I could I'd do it all differently. If I could, I would have told you that I love you._

_I'm sorry for never telling you this, I guess I was just scared to tell you, because I'd never thought I'd love someone as much as I love you._

_I know our relationship was complicated, but nobody said it was going to be easy. I wish we could go back to the start, before I took our relationship for granted, before I hurt you. Every time I see you, I gaze into your beautiful hazel eyes and I see the hurt I caused. I don't know if you ever forgave me, but I can't go another day not knowing if you did._

_I wish I could stop you from making the biggest mistake of you life. But all I want for you is for you to be happy, even if that means you are with someone else. But if you get married at that church tomorrow, you will be leaving a void in my heart that no one will ever be able to fill. _

_You are my one, my only, my whole world. You are the most amazing and beautiful person I will ever know. _

_I feel so lost without you. I have loved you all along, and I always will._

_Love always, Danny_

By the end of the letter, a silent tear was running down her cheek and dripping on to the letter, smudging the writing slightly.

Her hand felt shaky, and the lump had returned in her throat. She swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath to calm herself.

She heard a tapping on the door, and Stella peeped her head around the door.

"We're waiting for you Lindsay." She beckoned Lindsay with a wave of her hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," she squeaked, her voice wobbling.

She lifted her bouquet, and followed Stella out. She stood just at the start of the aisle, Lindsay in front. The organ began to play, and she saw Garry standing at the top of the church. Instead of feeling like a madly in love, radiant, blushing bride, she felt like a caged bird. _Trapped._

She started to walk up the aisle, and she saw all her friends. Mac, Sid, Hawkes, Flack, and Angell all standing in a pew. Flack gave her a friendly nod, as she walked by. All of them but one. Danny. Her mind unfocused and she remembered the night of the party, something that Danny had said:

_"It's okay, Montana. You're safe. I'll protect you."_

Danny had been there when she needed him most. He flew to Montana, just to be with her in her hour of need. He really did care.

Her mind then drifted to the letter again. With every few steps, a phrase from the letter swam through her mind.

_"I'm sorry Lindsay, for what I did to you." _

She continued walking slowly. She was half way there...

_"I wish I could take it all back, if I could I'd do it all differently. If I could, I would have told you that I love you."_

Her chest started to get tighter.

_"I'd never thought I'd love someone as much as I love you."_

She was standing at the altar, facing Garry. Stella took her bouquet from her and stood beside them.

_"Every time I see you, I gaze into your beautiful hazel eyes and I see the hurt I caused."_

She felt tears beginning to rise as the vicar began to speak.

Will you, Garry Brandon, have Lindsay Monroe to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort and keep her, and forsaking all other remain true to her as long as you both shall live?" he asked.

"I will," replied Garry.

And will you, Lindsay Monroe, have Garry to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort and keep him, and forsaking all other remain true to him as long as you both shall live?"

_"But if you get married at that church tomorrow, you will be leaving a void in my heart that no one will ever be able to fill."_

Lindsay stayed silent.

"Lindsay?" the vicar said quietly.

_"I have loved you all along, and I always will."_

She froze. The guests started to whisper.

"No."

Garry's eyes widened in shock. The vicar looked around, trying to figure out what to do.

Lindsay then ran as best as she could down the aisle, as the guests gasped in shock.

She ran from the church, and through the heavy oak doors.

She wrenched open the door of the car that was supposed to take Garry and her to the hotel and slammed the door.

"Drive!" she said hurriedly to the chauffer. The car took off, it's wheels slipping slightly on the gravel as it sped out of the church grounds and on to the road.

**A/N- I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, their support is really keeping me going! Kepp the reviews up!! I CRAVE them!! :) :) :) :) The final chapter will be up tomorrow :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- I don't own CSI NY.**

Lindsay turned her key in the door and burst into her apartment. The door slammed against the wall and closed over itself again.

She stood, the blind panic driving her. She ripped off her dress and got changed into some clothes. She ran into her bedroom, and pulled out a large red suitcase she kept under bed.

The tears began to flow like a never ending river. As she put clothes and other things into the suitcase, her heart began to shatter into tiny pieces, scattering and falling all around her. Her whole world was crashing to the ground, along with her tears. _Why did you get yourself into this mess?_

She reached for the letter, stared at Danny's handwriting and let a severe sob rip from her lungs and into the silent room. She couldn't bear to part with it. She set it in the suitcase, and zipped it up. She then lifted a pen and some paper, and scribbled a hasty letter back to Danny's. She sealed it, and lifted the suitcase again.

She walked slowly to the door, her suitcase in her arms. She looked around at her apartment, one final time, at her home. She turned, and walked away. Away from her life, her problems, the mess she'd made, and the hurt she caused.

As she got in her car, she knew she wouldn't be back for a while.

Danny's ears perked up when he heard some footsteps outside his door. They stopped for a few moments, and her heard them walk away again. He sank back into the couch, and rubbed his face. He had never felt so depressed in his life. His heart was now just an empty void; he had nothing, because Lindsay was everything to him. And he had lost her forever. He himself felt lost. Lost in a sea of blackness, were no one could save him. Another dark wave of depression washed over him, pulling deeper into the black. It engulfed him. He was sinking into the merciless abyss, an endless void of depression.

His heart couldn't take it. He broke down.

A torrent overhead lashed down on to the car windows. In the distance, another deep roll of thunder rumbled through the sky. Lindsay was sobbing silently to herself. She had know idea were she was going, or when she was coming back. She had to runaway, she didn't know any other form of escape from this terrifying nightmare.

She had left the letter stuck to Danny's door, before walking out on her life.

The silence in the car was causing her pain. She reached for the radio, and turned it on. Immediately, Coldplay's The Scientist played through the speakers. She listened to the words as she drove endlessly through the storm.

**"Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry," **came to her ears.

The letter swam back into her mind again.

She continued to listen, certain lines standing out from the song:

**"Nobody said it was easy,**

**No one ever said it would be this hard."**

_"I know our relationship was complicated, but nobody said it was going to be easy,"_

A quiet sob interrupted the song.

**"And tell me you love me, come back and hold me."**

Instead she was walking out on him, leaving him behind. Leaving all her friends because of her mess. But she knew she would see them again someday.

**"I'm goin' back to the start."**

This is what this was. A new start, until she has healed. She knew in her heart that this was the only way. She just hoped all her friends understood too. She had left a note for them too, back at the lab. She just hoped with all her heart, that Danny would wait for her. She loved him more than anything, and she knew that he loved her too. She didn't know when she would be back, or how long she would be gone for. All she knew, was that one day she would be home again, in his arms.

**A/N- That's it, the end! **

**I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, their support was fantastic.**

**Also, I was thinking of a sequel?? If you want one, please review and tell me if I should write one. I've already got a few ideas…**

**Also thanks to Heather, for helping me out with this :)**


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